Samsung Electronics is incorporating artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and voice recognition capabilities into a plethora of its home appliances that the Korean tech giant plans to exhibit at the IFA 2017 trade show scheduled to start on September 1. The company has already been investing large sums of money in AI-related acquisitions in a bid to strengthen its stake in this segment, and it is likely to establish a $1 billion fund to purchase more companies that focus on AI in the future. By 2020, Samsung says all of its home products and services will be powered by advanced AI technologies.
Some of Samsung’s products that already support AI solutions include its Family Hub refrigerators equipped with natural language speech recognition capabilities. The company will showcase new appliances at IFA 2017 along with other systems that can be controlled with voice commands, meaning that those services are likely to receive Bixby Voice, Samsung’s digital assistant that recently became available in more than 200 countries worldwide on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus. In addition to AI and voice controls, the South Korean tech firm also aims to help customers control Samsung’s electronics products through the cloud from any device by adding the support for Samsung Connect mobile app for these offerings, with plans to expand the feature to more consumer-grade devices manufactured by other companies in the near future. Additionally, Samsung is looking to improve its mobile Artificial Intelligence Remote Diagnosis Service which is designed to collect information from smart appliances and send them to the Seoul-based original equipment manufacturer for analysis in an effort to facilitate its future customer support endeavors.
Finally, Samsung seeks to extend its family of products that are certified by the Open Connectivity Foundation for compliance with the Internet of Things (IoT) standards. Apart from smart TVs, air conditioners, and Family Hub refrigerators, the company is also looking to apply for OCF certifications for its ovens, washing machines, and other home appliances in the coming months. All of those activities are meant to broaden Samsung’s stake in various IoT-related segments, and more updates about the company’s efforts on this front are likely to follow shortly.